Book-back.



T. E. LAYTON.

BOOK BACK.

APPLIOATIONIILED AUG.13, 100a.

Patented Jan. 4, 1910.

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Hall

F1131- Pm-4 F1115- FIILL I WITNESSES: a G. 94334 33340.

INVENTOR.

ATTORNEYS UNITED STATESEATENT OFFICE.

THOMAS E. LAYTON, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOR TO NATIONAL BLANKBOOK COMPANY, OF HOLYOKE, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA-CI-IUSETTS.

BOOK-BACK.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed August 13, 1908.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, THOMAS E. LAYTON, a

citizen of the United States of America, re-

siding at Holyoke, in the county of Hampden and State of Massachusetts,have invented a new and useful Book-Back, of which the following is aspecification.

My invention relates to improvements in backs for blank and other heavybooks of comparatively large size in which strength and durability areor should be promlnent features, and consists more particularly of aback made in one piece, including the hubs and heads, of some suitablefibrous material, such as paper stock or wood, which is capable of beingpressed into shape while in a plastic, or, more correctly perhaps, pulpycondition, and then of hardening to form a substantial mass or body ofthe required strength, stiffness, and durability, as hereinafter setforth.

The objects of my invention are, first, to produce a book back which issolid and 110- mogeneous throughout, all of the members being integral;second, to provide such a back with hubs of uniform height and width,and with uniform heads, so that all books into the construction of whichmy backs enter will have a uniform appearance; third, to furnish a backwith hubs and heads which cannot work loose, and, fourth, to produce aback that, while being adequately strong and durable, is also veryinexpensive, this last being due to the fact that said back can be madein an inconsiderable period of time and without the numerous operationsgenerally resorted to which call for much skill and labor. In thisconnection it may be well to note that in the manufacture of a hundredof these backs there is a saving of some six, more or less, intricate,laborious and skilful operations, and of about seven hours, over thesame number of backs manufactured in the old way by methods best adaptedfor first-class work in the production of first-class books.

Heretofore book backs have generally been made either by pressing themout of binders board without integral heads, for cheap backs, or byformin them out of binders board and afterward gluing on the hubs andheads, or in some cases omitting the heads from the backs themselves asfixed parts or actual attachments thereof. A back produced by the firstof these methods 1 is not stiff or strong enough for the desired Epurpose and is not therefore used for good work, while a back producedby the second of these methods is ex )ensive and also lacks certainessential qualifications which are possessed by my im roved back. In thefirst place, the binders board, out of which the best backs are nowmade, is very much weakened during the process of transforming suchboard into backs, by reason of the fact that it has to be softened bywetting, then pressed into shape, and then allowed to dry. The bindersboard in the back thus produced is not only considerably weaker than theboard was'originally, but it shrinks more or less in drying.

()wing to the shrinkin and to the great difficulty in properly bui dinup the hubs out of strips of binders board or of leather pasted or gluedtogether to the proper height and attaching them in exactly the rightplaces to the aforesaid back, the finished back is often too large ortoo small in crosssection, and the titles which are machinemade will notfit in their places, nor can the end and center bands for the back andsides of the book be placed with the exactitude desired. But by far thegreatest defect which characterizes a back that is pressed into shaperelates to the hubs and headers. Pasteboard is entirely different frommetal, and when a properly out piece of dampened pasteboard iscompressed between suitable dies to form a book back with hubs, the pulpwill not How like metal when portions of the board are forced outwardlyto form the hubs, but such pulp simply tears apartat the points ofjunction between the hubs and the main body of the back thus leavingthese points thin and weak, and since the hubs are hollow they do notstand ordinary use but will break away from the back. This is true ofevery book back which is formed by the compression of the dampenedbinders board between dies.

A book back is as strong as its weakest point, and if the main body ofthe back is sufliciently thick and strong then there should be no otherportion thinner and weaker than such main body, and all book bindersrealize this and have aimed to make their book backs as near as possibleto this standard, and although it has been essayed to arrive at thisresult by making the backs and hubs from a solid piece of wood, such aback has proved a failure because both the I istics required in a backfor the best grade back and hubs would warp and crack owing to themoisture in the atmosphere, while constant usage would split the hubscompletely away from the backs. My improvement overcomes all thesedefects and provides a book back which is lighter, stiffer and strongerthan a compressed back, and there is no portion of my improved backwhich is thinner or weaker than the main body portion. Moreover, myback, as it comes from the mold, is completely finished and ready forattachment to a book, and any desired color as is well known in the artmay be obtained by simply coloring the pulp before the moldingoperation. Furthermore, the use of this improved back permits much moremachine work on or in connection with the book, of which said back formsa part, to be done than can be clone 011 or in connection with a bookin. which the old back is embodied, which is a great advantage becausemachine work is exact while hand work is not, and the former is muchcheaper than the latter.

I attain the objects and secure the advantages above pointed out by themeans illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is arear elevation of a book back embodying my invention; Fig. 2, across-section taken on line 22, in Fig. 1, looking down; Fig. 3, asimilar section on lines 33, Fig. 1, looking down; Fig. 4, an insideview of said back; Fig. 5, a rear elevation of a back having differentstyles of hubs from the style of the hubs shown in the preceding views,and, Fig. 6, a central, longitudinal section through Fig. 5.

Similar figures refer to similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawings, it will be observed that the back consists ofa main portion or strip 10, concavo-convex in cross section, a pluralityof properly spaced integral hubs 11 on the outside between the ends ofsuch strip, and an inwardly projecting integral head 12 at each end ofthe strip. These parts, as above stated, are all formed together at onemolding operation out of the same mass of pulp, so that exact uniformityis always present and the structure is homogeneous throughout.Particular attention is called to the fact that no part of this moldedback is thinner or weaker than the main body portion 10, and thereforesaid backpo-ssesses in a marked degree all the necessary qualificationsand character of ledgers and other blank books, heavy printed books andthe like.

The style of the hub may vary to meet different requirements of tasteand utility and I therefore do not wish to be restricted in thisparticular.

lVhile I prefer to mold the heads 12 integral with the backs,nevertheless the backs thei'nselves are so stiff and strong that Icontemplate forming them without these heads in some instances, andtherefore I do not wish to be limited to the provision of these heads asan integral part of the back. Also, in the instance of book backswithout hubs, the backs and heads are molded integrally, and accordinglyI do not wish to be limited to the provision of hubs as a part of myimproved article.

\Vhat I claim as my invention, and de sire to secure by Letters Patent,is

1. In a new article of manufacture, a molded pulp book back consistingof a main body portion, concavo-convex in cross sec tion having spacedhubs integral with said main body portion on the convex side thereof,said main body portion being of uniform thickness throughout its length.

2. As an improved article of manufacture, a molded pulp book back,consisting of a main body portion concavo-convex in cross section,spaced hubs projecting from the convex surface of said body portion, andheads at the extremities of the concave surface of said body portion,said hubs and heads being integral with said main body portion.

3. As an improved article of manufacture, a molded pulp book backconsisting of a main body portion, concavo-convex in cross section, andheads integral with said body portion at the extremities of the concavesurface of the latter.

at. As an improved article of manufacture, a molded pulp book backconsisting of a main body portion, concavo-convex in cross section, andspaced hubs projecting from and integral with the convex surface of saidportion, the concave surface of said main body portion being perfectlyplain and unbroken, whereby there are no portions of the back that arethinner than said main body portion.

THONIAS E. LAYTON.

Vitnesses E. S. TowNE, F. A. CUTTER.

